ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to accelerate the hearing of the RAW agent Kulbhushan Jadhav, whose execution was stayed on May 18.

According to a report by Express Tribune, the ministry of foreign affairs dispatched a letter to the ICJ’s registrar, expressing Pakistan’s desire for a quick hearing, preferably over the next few weeks.

Sources privy to the developments said that the request for early hearing was made citing the upcoming elections for ICJ judges, scheduled to be held in November.

A senior official of law ministry on the condition of anonymity opined that the ICJ might resume the hearing of the case in October.

“The government (however) wants the hearing (to be held in the) next six weeks,” he said.

It is highly likely that Attorney-General Ashtar Ausaf Ali would attend the ICJ proceedings in the future. However, the federal government has not taken any decision about replacing Khawar Quraishi.

Sources also said that the government was nominating a few names for ad hoc ICJ judge, adding that the name of a senior lawyer was also under consideration.

Pakistan Bar Council’s (PBC) executive member Raheel Kamran Sheikh expressed concerns over Pakistan’s poor success rate in international arbitration, at just two per cent. He pointed out that “India’s success rate was 60 percent”.

“We have lost important cases at international forums over the past couple of years while spending more than a billion rupees in lawyers’ fees,” he said.

It bears mentioning that the UN’s judicial arm stayed the execution of RAW agent Kalbhushan Jadhav on May 18 and requested consular access to him.

“Pakistan shall take necessary measures to ensure that Jadhav is not executed until the final decision in these proceedings and shall inform the court all the measures taken in implementation of the court’s order,” the order stated.